Automatic pattern stitch device in a hand knitting machine

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a pattern stitch hand knitting machine, wherein a pattern follower device cooperating with the knitting machine carriage is provided, whereby yarns of different kinds and of different color are selected according to the desired pattern on a pattern board through the operation of cursor contactors scanning the pattern of the pattern board, which pattern consists of electrically conductive material and insulating material.

United States Patent Mori et al.

[ Feb. 15,1972

AUTOMATIC PATTERN STITCH DEVICE IN A HAND KNITTING MACHINE Inventors: Miyoshi Mori; Shozo Takasu, both of Kan'ya, Japan Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Kariya, Japan Filed: Aug. 26, 1969 Appl. No.: 853,005

Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 4, 1968 Japan ..43/63496 Assignee:

US. Cl. ..66/60, 66/154 Int. Cl. ..D04b 7/00 Field of Search ..66/154l56, 60,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Cobert ..66/l54 UX 3,035,426 5/1962 MacQueen ..66/ l 54 X 3 ,05 3,065 9/ 1962 Steiger "66/ 154 3,259,088 7/l966 ROClthOlt... ..l l2/79 3 ,247,687 4/ l 966 Schutzengel 66/ 128 Primary Brendan-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind 8:. Ponack ABSTRACT This invention relates to a pattern stitch hand knitting machine, wherein a pattern follower device cooperating with the knitting machine cam'age is provided, whereby yarns of difi'erent kinds and of different color are selected according to the desired pattern on a pattern board through the operation of cursor contaetors scanning the pattern of the pattern board, which pattern consists of electrically conductive material and insulating material.

8 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB 15 I972 FIG. 2

FIG. 1

SHEET 1 [IF 3 INVENTOR s MIYOSHI MORI and SHOZO TAKASU BYLUMAZC ATTORNEY S PATENTEIJFEB 15 I972 SHEET 2 [IF 3 FIG. 5

FIG. 4

FIG. 6

FIG. 7

FIG. 8b

m MIYOSHI MQRI and SHOZO TAKASU,

INVENTOR S BYMJwfiQZ/ZIM ATTORNEYEE PAIENTEDFEB15 1972 3.641.788

mwmw ATTORNEY s AUTOMATIC PATTERN STITCH DEVICE IN A HAND KNITTING MACHINE The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved controlling device for automatically selecting yarns of different kinds and different color according to a desired pattern on the pattern board.

A further object of the invention is to enable the user of a knitting machine to exchange the pattern stitch merely by changing the pattern board employed.

The above and other objects of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the essential portion of the hand knitting machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail showing a plan of the fabric presser;

FIG. 3 shows a central section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail showing a carriage handle;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the pattern follower device (cursorial mechanism);

FIG. 6 shows a rear view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 5;

FIGS. 8a, 8b, 9a and 9b are schematic views showing the pattern and cursor contactors, and the relation between the knitting needle, yarn and the yarn feeder; and

FIG. 10 is a logic circuit diagram.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a needle bed, and 2 is a knitting needle. 3 is a pattern board set upright at a suitable position on a machine standard 4. The upright pattern board 3 consists of conductive material normally in connection with a source of electric power and bearing a pattern P composed of insulating material such as insulating paper. The insulating pattern P may if desired be composed of any insulating coating composition. 5 is a carriage and, at the rear portion thereof, there is a cursor device 6 forming a pattern follower device. Said cursorial device consists of a slidable cursor 7 which is provided at both ends with cursor contactors 8 and 9 adapted to slide vertically so that the cursor contactors 8 and 9 are adapted to scan either surface of the pattern board 3, the conductive surface (nonpattem base surface) and insulating surface (pattern surface p), whereby electrically sensing the pattern. In FIG. 5, 12 and 13 are adjusting buttons for adjusting the horizontal sliding movement of the cursor contactors 8 and 9. 14 is a hollow carriage handle which is provided within the interior with a microswitch 15 having a button 16. Said microswitch 15 switches the cursor contactors 8 and 9, so that either one of the cursor contactors is rendered conductive, while the other is rendered nonconductive. In other words, the microswitch l5 normally connects either one of the cursor contactors 8 and 9 to a source of electric power. 17 is a slide handle slidably mounted on the gripping part of said handle 14. According to sliding movement of said slide handle 17, a leaf spring 18 (FIG. 4) normally in contact with a button 16 will be pressed or released, so that said changeover button 16 will appear or disappear, whereby either one of said cursor contactors 8 and 9 is rendered conductive or nonconductive. 19 is a knit fabric presser, and the left and right presser elements 19a and 19b (FIG. 2) are provided with changeover solenoids 20 and 21 (FIG. 2) connected by a connector 22. When received from either one of said cursor contactors 8 or 9 a signal which is produced by electrically sensing the conducting and insulating portions of the pattern board as previously described, either one of the solenoids will be energized, and vice versa. For instance, when the cursor contactor contacts with the conducting surface (non pattern surface) the left-hand solenoid 20 will be energized, but when the cursor contactor contacts with the insulating surface (pattern surface) the righthand solenoid 21 will be energized and the other solenoid 20 will then be deenerg'ized. Thus, the connector 22 will be attracted toward the energized solenoid. An actuator arm 23 is pivoted at a pin on a bar 24 which is mounted on the fabric presser 19. The arm 23 is pivoted to the connector 22 at its mid point 26. The extension of said arm 23 forms a ring 23a having teeth 23b on the outer periphery thereof. Said ring 23a is adapted to be turned around the pin 25 when said connector 22 is moved. 27 and 28 are two stepped gears pivoted to the fabric presser 19 as at 29. The upper gear 27 is normally meshing with the gear teeth 23b of the arm 23, and the lower gear 28 is normally meshing with yarn eye gear 31 which bears yarn feeder eyes 30a and 30b in a yarn feeder 30. When the arm 23 is oscillated, the yarn feeder 30 will oscillate through angle of through said upper gear 27, the lower gear 28 and the yarn eye gear 31, whereby the position of the yarn eyes 30a and 30b will be exchanged.

Now, referring to FIG. 10, a logic circuit R will be explained which is necessary to alternately actuate the solenoids 20 and 21 by means of the operation of both the cursor contactors 8 and 9 sensing the conducting and insulating surfaces and the switching operation of the microswitch 15. A contact a for one cursor contactor 8 is connected in series with a circuit which consisted of an AND -circuit 32, a NoT -circuit 33, and AND -circuit 34, an OR -circuit 35 and said solenoid 21 (solenoid B), while a contact b for the other contactor 9 is connected in series with a circuit which consists of an AND -circuit 36, a NOT -circuit 37, an AND -circuit 38, an OR,-circuit 39 and said solenoid 20 (solenoid A). Further, one contact a for said microswitch 15 is connected to said AND,-circuit 32 through a branch lead 40 and is also connected to the AND;,- circuit 34 through a lead 41, while the other contact [2 for said microswitch 15 is connected to the AND -circuit 36 through a branch lead 42 is also connected to the AND -circuit 38 through a lead 43. A lead 44 connecting said AND -circuit 32 to said NOT,-circuit 33 is connected to said OR,-circuit 39 through a lead 45. Similarly, a lead 46 connecting said AND circuit 36 to said NOT -circuit 37 is connected to said OR,- circuit 35 through a lead 47. Now, when the carriage 5 is moved to the left, with the slide handle [7 moved to the position shown in chain line in FIG. 4, one of the contacts a for the microswitch 15 will be rendered conductive. When the carriage 5 is moved to the right, the other contact b will be rendered conductive. The following description will be made on the assumption that the carriage 5 is moved to the left. When the contact of a of the cursor contactor 8 is contacting with the conducting surface (nonpattern surface) of the pattern board 3, the logic circuit R will be operated as described hereinafter, thereby to energize the solenoid (A) 20. More particularly, assuming that a conductive condition is a ONE and a nonconductive condition is a ZERO in the conditions as illustrated in FIG. 10, a ONE output signal from the microswitch contact a will be applied to one input of the AND,-circuit 32 and a ONE signal from the cursor contact a will be applied to the other input of the same. Therefore, said AND -circuit 32 provides an ONE output signal. This ONE signal is applied to both of the OR,-circuit 39 and the NOT,- circuit 33 with it providing a ZERO output signal. This signal is applied to one input of the AND -circuit 34. Said AND -circuit 34, while having received at the other input the ONE signal from the microswitch contact 0, provides a ZERO output signal since the ZERO signal from said NOT -circuit is applied thereto as just described. The ZERO output signal from the output of the AND -circuit 34 is applied to the OR -circuit 35 as input signal thereto. On the other hand, considering input signals applied to the AND -circuit 36, a ZERO signal will be applied to one input of the AND -circuit 36 since the other contact b of the microswitch 15 is in the nonconductive condition. Accordingly, even if the other cursor contact b is contacting with either the conducting surface (non pattern surface) or the insulating surface (pattern surface) of the pattern board 3, the AND -circuit 36 will provide a ZERO output signal since the signal from said contact b is ZERO. Said ZERO signal from the output of the AND -circuit 36 is applied to both of the NOT -circuit 37 and the OR -circuit 35. As a result, the NOT -circuit 37 provides a ONE signal which is applied to one input of the AND -circuit 38. Since the ONE signal from the NOT -circuit 37 is now applied to said one input of the AND ,-circuit 38 and the ZERO signal from the contact b of the microswitch has been applied to the other input of the AND -circuit 38, it will provide a ZERO output signal and then this ZERO signal is applied to the OR -circuit 39. With this ZERO signal and the ONE signal from the AND -circuit 32 the OR,-circuit 39 results in providing a ONE output signal. The solenoid (A) has the ONE signal received, thereby to be rendered conductive and to be energized. On the other hand, considering the solenoid (B) 21, since the OR -circuit 35 receives the ZERO signals from both of the AND -circuit 34 and the AND -circuit 36, the OR -circuit 35 provides a ZERO output signal. With this ZERO signal the solenoid (B) 21 remains nonconductive. Under the abovementioned condition, as shown in FIGS. 90 and 9b, the white yarn W inserted through the feeder eye 30a of the feeder 30 and the red yarn R inserted through the feeder eye 30b are fed through the upper path and lower path, respectively. That is, the red yarn R is fed through the path lower than the path of the white yarn W, so that the top stitch will be composed of the red yarn R while the back stitch will be composed of the white yarn W. As said cursor contact a contacts with the insulating surface (pattern surface) of the pattern board 3 according to sliding movement of the carriage 5, the signal from the cursor contact a will be transferred from the ONE to a ZERO so that two signals applied to the AND -circuit 32 are the ZERO and the ONE. Therefore, the AND,-circuit 32 provides a ZERO output signal, which is applied to the oR -circuit 39. Since the ANlL-circuit 38 continues to provide the ZERO signal, the oR -circuit 39 results in receiving two ZERO signals and providing a ZERO output signal, thereby to render the solenoid (A) 20 nonconductive. Considering input signals applied to the OR -circuit 35 at that time, after the ZERO output signal from the output of the AND -circuit 32 is inverted by the NOT -circuit 33 the inverted signal of ONE will be applied to said one input of the AND -circuit 34. Since the ONE signal from the contact a has been applied to the other input of the AND -circuit 34, it provides a ONE output signal with it being applied to the OR -circuit 35. As a result, said OR -circuit 35 provides a ONE output signal. The solenoid (B) 21 receives this ONE signal, thereby to be rendered conductive and to be energized. Consequently, the connector 22 is attracted toward said solenoid 21, and the actuator arm 23 will be clockwisely turned around the pin 25, whereby the yarn feeder 30 will be turned through 180. Thus, the operation of the red yarn R passing through the feeder eye 30 will be reversed into the white yarn W, namely as shown in FIGS. 80 and 8b, the white yarn W will be transferred to pass through the feeder eye disposed lower than the feeder eye 20b for the red yarn R, so that the red yarn R will be fed through the upper path while the white yarn W will be fed through the lower path. Thus, the top stitch is composed of the white yarn W, while the back stitch is composed of the red yarn R.

During the sliding movement of the carriage 5, by the sensing action of the cursor 7 for the pattern board 3, the above-mentioned operation is repeated for regeneration the same pattern stitch on the fabric. From the foregoing it will be seen that, according to the present invention, when the cursor contactor contacts with the pattern P on the pattern board 3, said pattern will normally appear on the top stitch, and that when the cursor contactor contacts with the nonpattem surface of the pattern board it makes the back stitch, thus automatically making the desired pattern stitch based on the pattern on the pattern board, such result being produced merely by manipulating the slidable carriage, whereby it is possible to attain higher knitting efficiency.

What we claim is:

1. A hand-operated knitting machine comprising a single flat needle bed; an immovable pattern board having a pattern thereon and mounted adjacent said needle bed, said pattern board comprising conductive material and connected to a source of electric power, and said pattern comprising insulating material; a carriage mounted for slidable movement longitudinally of said needle bed; a pattern follower device mounted on said carriage to traverse said pattern board and including contact means for contacting said pattern board to electrically distinguish between said pattern board and said pattern; a yarn feeder operatively associated. with said carriage and including at least two yarn feeder eyes for feeding two different yarns; and means mounted on said carriage and connected to said yarn feeder for moving said yarn feeder in response to the signals of said contact means between a first position wherein one of said feeder eyes is above the other of said feeder eyes and a second position wherein the other of said feeder eyes is above said one feeder eye; whereby said pattern is reproduced in a knitted product.

2. A machine as claimed in claim I, wherein said contact means comprise cursor contactors for electrically sensing said conductive material and insulating material.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for moving includes a pair of solenoids mounted on said carriage and said pattern follower device is electrically connected with said solenoids, said solenoids being energized or deenergized by said signals sensed by said cursor contactors of the conductive and insulating surface of the pattern board, and further comprising drawing means movable by said solenoids to actuate said yam feeder.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said yarn feeder is rotatable to move said feeder eyes between said positions.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 3, herein said drawing means comprises a lever connecting said solenoids and a gear system connecting said lever to said yarn feeder for effecting rotational movement of said feeder.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a microswitch provided on said carriage, said microswitch selectively connecting either one of said cursor contactors with said electric power source according to sliding movement of said carriage.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said microswitch is provided on a slide handle of said carriage.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein only the rearwardly of said cursor contactors, with respect to the direction of sliding movement of said carriage, can produce said signal. 

1. A hand-operated knitting machine comprising a single flat needle bed; an immovable pattern board having a pattern thereon and mounted adjacent said needle bed, said pattern board comprising conductive material and connected to a source of electric power, and said pattern comprising insulating material; a carriage mounted for slidable movement longitudinally of said needle bed; a pattern follower device mounted on said carriage to traverse said pattern board and including contact means for contacting said pattern board to electrically distinguish between said pattern board and said pattern; a yarn feeder operatively associated with said carriage and including at least two yarn feeder eyes for feeding two different yarns; and means mounted on said carriage and connected to said yarn feeder for moving said yarn feeder in response to the signals of said contact means between a first position wherein one of said feeder eyes is above the other of said feeder eyes and a second position wherein the other of said feeder eyes is above said one feeder eye; whereby said pattern is reproduced in a knitted product.
 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said contact means comprise cursor contactors for electrically sensing said conductive material and insulating material.
 3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for moving includes a pair of solenoids mounted on said carriage and said pattern follower device is electrically connected with said solenoids, said solenoids being energized or deenergized by said signals sensed by said cursor contActors of the conductive and insulating surface of the pattern board, and further comprising drawing means movable by said solenoids to actuate said yarn feeder.
 4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said yarn feeder is rotatable to move said feeder eyes between said positions.
 5. A machine as claimed in claim 3, herein said drawing means comprises a lever connecting said solenoids and a gear system connecting said lever to said yarn feeder for effecting rotational movement of said feeder.
 6. A machine as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a microswitch provided on said carriage, said microswitch selectively connecting either one of said cursor contactors with said electric power source according to sliding movement of said carriage.
 7. A machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said microswitch is provided on a slide handle of said carriage.
 8. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein only the rearwardly of said cursor contactors, with respect to the direction of sliding movement of said carriage, can produce said signal. 